Sorainen is the first law firm in the Baltics and Belarus to appoint a chief operating officer (COO). Newly-appointed Sorainen COO Leda Iržikevičienė is taking overall charge of Sorainen management together with managing partner Laimonas Skibarka.
Leda, who joined Sorainen from Nordea Baltics, is based at the firm’s Lithuanian office. Responsible for firm-wide business services and regional integration, she is also a member of the Sorainen board. Laimonas Skibarka has been acting as the firm’s co-managing partner since 2015 and served as country managing partner in Lithuania during 2013-2016.
Says senior partner Aku Sorainen: “I believe this structure of a managing partner and COO acting as a duo will support the further development and growth of our firm. We were delighted to welcome Leda to our management team and her background in pan-Baltic service organisations is an excellent fit for our firm.”
Adds Laimonas Skibarka: “It is still rare among law firms to appoint non-lawyers to top management positions and Sorainen is the first among Baltic and Belarusian law firms to create a COO position. I am very happy to share the firm’s management responsibilities with a strong female leader. This also allows me to devote more time to working with clients.”
With over 17 years of professional experience working in the financial industry in senior management positions, for the four years before joining Sorainen Leda was a member of the Nordea Baltics Management team, where she was responsible for finance and strategy as well as business planning for the Baltics. Leda is also a true activist in encouraging women’s leadership and career advancement in Lithuania – as an active member of “Lyderë” (“Leader”) Association as well as a board member with the “Go Forward Academy”, she actively promotes successful career development and leadership among women.
Uniquely, Sorainen was awarded two years in a row for supporting women in the legal profession, being recognised as the best law firm in the Baltics at the Europe Women in Business Law Awards 2018 and 2017. Some 66% of senior Sorainen lawyers and almost 20% of the firm’s partners are women. These figures have been steadily growing, with a larger share of female professionals assuming top positions that were once more male-dominated.
